Alpha's Regret: The Seventh Time was Forever

Chapter 285 – Mommy! Are you coming home with us?

Voren didn’t turn around immediately, like turning around meant acknowledging an interruption he hadn’t invited.

"What." Not a question. Barely even a word.

Jasmine stepped closer anyway, careful, like she was approaching something that might startle. "Marigold won’t eat." She kept her voice even, factual, giving him just the information and nothing extra.

"I’ll be there," Voren answered, still not looking at her. He finally got Seraphine to look at him again with soft eyes and he was determined to keep things that way until he figured what happened to the memories they shared before she broke his heart.

His gaze was still on the middle distance somewhere past Seraphine’s shoulder, and Jasmine was smart enough to understand the dismissal for what it was.

But before she turned to go, her gaze moved to Seraphine just long enough. Whatever was in that look didn’t have a clean name. It wasn’t hostility exactly, but it wasn’t warmth either.

It sat somewhere in the complicated middle, layered with things Seraphine didn’t have enough context to fully read yet. Then Jasmine was gone, her footsteps quiet and purposeful back down the hall toward Marigold’s ward.

Voren opened his mouth.

"Who is she?" Seraphine asked first.

Something moved across his face. Not annoyance. More like the recognition that he’d walked himself into this conversation by suggesting friendship, and friendship meant questions, and questions meant he didn’t get to keep all the doors shut anymore.

the hallway, the lingering observers, the fluorescent openness of

deep. New business ideas that needed developing in the morning, and surgeries lined up in

packed. Make it

has to be my place." Voren said it without hesitation, without making it a negotiation.

of his that she’d stopped being able to fully dismiss. "You know how careful I am. There are things I can’t go into out in the open." His lips pressed together

first time saw something fragile in them. Vulnerability. She hesitated. "I’d need to call Corvine

phone went off in her pocket, buzzing against her palm

Corvine.

a step, just enough, and answered. "Corvine. I’m just heading out now... don’t worry about

the phone, at almost the same moment: "I can see what’s going on from here." Corvine’s tone was dry, unbothered, the kind of dry that had an entire

her eyes for exactly one second. "Fine. I’ll wait

call and

to recognize as his version of amusement. "You

Just observation, flat and honest. Like he was noting

it, which was its

with the same ease he’d said it. "Since you’re waiting,

to check for any birth marks on the little girl’s body. Voren was not known to

pushed open the ward door and Marigold’s head came up from the pillow

unbridled delight, the specific, full-body joy that only children can produce without

burst out of her. "Are you coming home

mouth had already started forming the correction, but Voren caught her eye and gave